Fighting the Doppler Effect
by SpoiledLiLAmy
Summary: Maxand Alec are living in a gated community for transgenics when murders start sweeping the community. *Chapter 1 is the same but the summary has changed* M/A
1. Prologue

TITLE: Fighting the Doppler Effect

RATING: PG-13  
PAIRING: Max/Alec of course  
SUMMARY: Challenge response…**Challenge #4 Added 4/21/02****  
**Max, Alec, Joshua, and Original Cindy take a break and head up to Logan's cabin for some down time!! Alternate Universe fic!  
_Required_  
1) Max and Alec share a bed  
2) Max gets stung by a bunch of bees and Alec tends to her stings not Original Cindy   
3) Joshua and Original Cindy do a lot of friendship bonding  
4) No talking about Logan at all!!!!  
5) No talking about Manticore either at all!!!!  
6) Super soakers must play a major part  
7) Skinny dipping must play into the story somehow  
8) A bug zapper on the front porch has to be in there somewhere  
9) A huge pillow fight with everyone!  
10) Last but not least...Max and Alec have to at least kiss by the end of the story  
AN: My other fics were getting kinda angsty so this is my break to do some pure fluffy humor

AN2: Only this part will be Max POV the rest will be 3rd person

~~~

You got me feeling hella good 

So lets just keep on dancing

You hold me like you should

So I'm gonna keep on dancing

~Hella Good~ No Doubt~

~~~

**Doppler effect**  
_n._

A change in the observed frequency of a wave, as of sound or light, occurring when the source and observer are in motion relative to each other, with the frequency increasing when the source and observer approach each other and decreasing when they move apart. The motion of the source causes a real shift in frequency of the wave, while the motion of the observer produces only an apparent shift in frequency. Also called **Doppler shift**.

The Doppler effect is a scientific phenomenon that I have actually found myself able to understand. Not being much of the scholarly type I need a demonstration before I can fully understand it. Fortunately the Doppler effect is easily demonstrated. I also attribute my understanding to the fact that I have found another use for this particular concept. This discovery is partially the result of long sleepless nights, induced by enough caffeine to make the normal person's hair stand on end and the knowledge that often the fate of several hundreds rests on my shoulders. Not exactly the ingredients for a good nights sleep. Instead, a monster is born. An idea which has me second-guessing every person I meet and over-analyzing every word they say. I've dubbed it the Doppler Syndrome and it goes as follows…

The Doppler effect, to sum it up simply, is the phenomenon that occurs when two objects are moving in relation to one another i.e. you and an ambulance. The ambulances wailing siren changes pitch as the vehicle approaches then passes you. It starts out as a high-pitched scream that causes you to instinctly cover your ears and let out a wail of your own. It climaxes when it is next to you then as the frequency of the sound waves decreases the sound becomes more and more tolerable until it is bearable and for a bizarre few even pleasant. You're now curious as to where the ambulance was going and why but by the time you have removed your hands it's already too late. 

This is where my obsession began. Imagine that ambulance was a person. They may come off as obnoxious and rude. Annoyingly cocky. But what if that's just their disguise. Their tough exterior used to hide all the sweet gushy insides. The romantic insides that send you roses and chocolate and tell you you're beautiful. But by the time you're seeing that side of them, or hearing that more tolerable sound they're already gone. Already out of reach. 

Of course this idea came about with a particular person in mind. I thought back on all my failures and realized how many people I may have pushed away without giving it time for the Doppler to kick in. Time for their more pleasant siren to sound. 

Ambulance Alec came screaming at me with the force of a sonic boom. The most annoying siren that made you want to run for a bomb shelter. Only this particular ambulance had a very pretty outside. A new coat of paint and leather interior which begged for a second glance. Alec had passed me months ago but I can still hear that siren ringing. Extending the time I have. Giving me time to let go of my reservations about him and find out if this more pleasant side that was showing through is for real. 

The only way to stop the Doppler Syndrome is to throw yourself in front of the rushing ambulance. Take the chance that that good sound will still come and you will be happy. Of course you risk being crushed under the wheels. Being left broken in bleeding in the middle of the road until the next ambulance comes by only to hurt you more. But there is also the possibility that they'll stop for you. Maybe Alec is my ambulance that's picking up hitchhikers.

I've tired this idea out on O.C. and Joshua but neither of them got it like me. Joshua started laughing manically when I started on Ambulance Alec and Original Cindy couldn't grasp my logic. "Is the Doppler syndrome good or bad?" she asked. As if it wasn't perfectly clear. "Are you relating people to ambulances or their personality to the sirens?" Writing it down now it sounds incredibly disjointed and illogical but I can only hope that you think like me. You think like a girl who's obsessed with the product of her delusional late night ramblings. I read this to Alec, posing it as a hypothetical question and pretending a friend at work had come up with it. He told me to market it. It was just twisted enough to make sense to someone. I wasn't sure if that was a complement or if he was just teasing me so I went for a friendly punch on the arm. It sounded like an insult so I made sure it was a friendly punch that was hard enough to bruise. Then he told me my hair looked nice and he transformed into the ambulance in 10 seconds flat.

Now I just have to take the leap.

~~~

TBC… Weird I know… bear with me it'll get better.

~~~


	2. Showerhead

**AUTHORS NOTE** – I decided to go in a totally different direction with this fic… the 1st chapter is the same but the original summary doesn't apply any more. 

TITLE: Fighting the Doppler Effect

RATING: PG-13 probably becoming R in future chapters  
PAIRING: Max/Alec 

SUMMARY: Max, her son, and Alec are living in a gated community for transgenics when murders start sweeping the community.

AN: It's summer vacation so I've developed a few new obsessions… Days of Our Lives and Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter (book series) so if any1 could recommend some good Brady/Chloe (Broe) or Anita/Edward fic I'd really appreciate it! Thanx!

AN2: Is anyone else VERY annoyed with ff.net recently??? You can NEVER get on and when you do it shuts down at sporadic intervals! And this G-PG13 thing is kinda getting frustrating.

~~~

Cheap shot hocked straight to the eardrum

Is it some sick sign of affection

Violated and singed with deceit

Disgust from my hands to my head to my feet

Your face it gives a foul taste

Whether smiling crying of denying

I see your motives and you're charged with fraud by me

So take the hint and leave

I loved you while he was in you in the shower

Did in joy and ecstasy your eyes begin to water?

~Showerhead~ Eve6~

~~~

"No." A simple two-letter word, an answer to a question she didn't think he had the balls to ask, an answer he's obviously not going to accept.

"Look Max it's in your best interest to take this opportunity. If you want to give that child of yours a fighting chance you would put your antipathy aside." Logan's argument was a sane one. Even logical if she wanted to be perfectly honest with herself but it was a point he had reiterated several times already and she wasn't going for it. 

"No," Max repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. 

Logan sighed as he took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes distractedly, "Max," he began, but Max waved him silent.

"Let me talk," she ordered, her feet jerking spasmodically in a gesture of impatience, "We've been over this again and again. I don't want Alec here. I don't want him anywhere near me or Avery."

"Why?" Logan demanded, this was the first time they had addressed the possibility of Alec's return in the five years he had been gone and to be honest Logan was at a loss as to why Max was so opposed to the idea. "Do you really think Alec is that strong a corrupting force?"

Max chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip, trying to decide how to voice her concerns to Logan. The all-knowing Mr. Cale was out of the loop when it came to Alec.

"You need the safety this community would provide," Logan continued. "It's designed specifically for transgenics so they have to be elite when deciding who gets in. Avery qualifies as a special circumstance but they aren't going to let a single mother move in to one of these homes."

"And you can't come with me?" Max asked dejectedly.

"They only let in members of the X series, the project director was very clear about that."

"Then I'm not going," Max replied firmly.

"What has gotten into you?" Logan said angrily, "If you could see how goddamn childish you're acting you'd slap yourself. This move will assure Avery's safety as well as your own! Don't you want that for him? Half of this city is after that kid and you're unwilling to take the opportunity that would save him because of some petty argument with Alec. You need him for this Max."

Max sat back in her seat, stunned by Logan's outburst, "I'll find someone else," she suggested, chagrined by Logan's accurate yet harsh description of her.

"Too late," Logan said, a satisfied smirk creeping over his face, "I already called him."

The shock of the announcement had barely registered when she grabbed up her purse and stormed out of the apartment, "You have no idea what you've done Logan Cale," she called over her shoulder, "I'm barely managing as it is without you and the rest of this fucking city playing their twisted game of matchmaker."

"That wasn't my intent," Logan shouted, somehow not surprised that Max had misinterpret the action. He really did want her and Avery safe and if that meant bringing Alec back into their lives then they would just have to cope.

Max slammed the door behind her listening to it rattle on it's hinges. How dare he do that to her. Of course he didn't know exactly why she was so against the idea but he had no right to fuck with her life without consulting with her first. And Avery… well Avery was about to meet his Daddy.

~~~

Max entered her apartment, sliding down in a chair, kicking off her shoes and heaving a loud sigh. The eerie silence indicated that O.C. had Avery out for a walk, giving her the cool down time she so desperately needed. 

She had slept with Alec when her heat cycle had hit unexpectedly at Crash. They were both clear that it was going to be a one-night thing but fate stepped in and screwed up their plans. Instead of the awkwardness Max had expected after the one night she and Alec had become close friends. The tension having been eased they each found the other much easier to tolerate. Then Max found out she was pregnant. The knowledge haunted her and her guilt-racked conscience prevented her from telling Alec or anyone else. She was still supposed to be Logan's girl and this was defiantly not the way she wanted him to find out about her little indiscretion. She was just beginning to show when several attempts where made on Alec's life. It was decided that he should go into hiding to keep both himself safe and keep his friends from getting caught in the crossfire. 

Eventually Logan and the rest of her friends found out about the baby but she kept the paternity a secret. She admitted that it was a heat-induced one-night stand but she refused to name the father. She created the imaginary Jensen Black who wanted nothing to do with her or the baby and who left Seattle shortly after their fling. It was a lie she almost had herself believing up until now. Cindy had seen through her deception almost immediately. She had been watching two-year-old Avery while Max was at Logan's and confronted Max when she got home. 

"There's no question who this kid's father is," she had laughed as the little blonde trotted around the kitchen gurgling with delight. "He's got that endless supply of energy that I recognize from a certain X5-494." Max had coerced her into keeping her secret and the pair had raised the toddler together. She hadn't even considered how to handle Alec's return and now that it was an issue she found herself wondering if he would just know. If he would just look at Avery and know that it was his son. For some reason she didn't want that to happen. She didn't even want to imagine how he would react to her keeping this from him.

The front door banging broke into her reveries and sent her leaping to her feet, "Hey you two!" she called as O.C. and Avery rounded the corner, "Did you have fun without me?"

Avery nodded enthusiastically as Cindy slumped into an empty chair, worn out by the antics of the five-year-old boy. Max laughed and tosseled the blonde head before walking into the bathroom to grab a wet rag.

"Come'ere Monkey," she called kneeling down and motioning him over, rag extended like a peace offering. Avery looked at her with obvious skepticism, his highly expressive face informing her that there was no way in hell that he was giving in that easily. He shook his head wildly, clumps of hair falling into his eyes as he took off running. Max gave chase, her speed making the chase a short one even if the little boy was much faster than the average five year old. Max tackled him, pulling him into her lap as she wiped off his grimy face. 

Avery struggled against her embrace, breathy laughter shaking his small frame. Max felt her heart breaking slightly at the pathetic little sound. Avery was born nearly seven weeks early and the doctors had doubted that he would pull through. Seven weeks was dangerously early and his birth weight was far too low but Avery survived, he was a fighter like his parents after all. The one lasting defect was Avery Benjamin Guevara was unable to speak. His larynx was either torn during delivery or malformed, an effect of his early birth. Max had learned sign language at Manticore and Avery was a quick learner but it was still a disability. She loved this little boy more than she thought physically possible. According to the news she wasn't even human so how could she feel such devotion to a child who was barely one-third her height? Avery thrashed wildly, catching her cheek with one grubby little hand, knocking her over as he sped off. Max laughed softly and walked back into the living room taking a seat across from O.C.

"He's coming back," she informed her, finally coming to terms with the fact. Cindy didn't have to ask who "he" was. It was obvious from her friend's expression who the mystery man was.

"You gonna tell him?"

"I'm hoping it won't come to that but I'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Max breathed, dropping her head into her hands. She began to explain the plan to the other woman when a knock on the door interrupted her. They heard Avery's little feet trundling down the hall as he raced to answer the door.

"I'll get it," Cindy offered but Max shook her head.

"No sit down you've done enough today."

Avery wrenched open the door and regarded the man in front of him seriously.

Alec looked down at the little boy who opened the door, smiling though his confusion was obvious.

"Hey Munchkin," he said, kneeling down in front of the boy, "What're you doing here?" His question was a bit intrusive but his tone was friendly. The boy gazed up at him, his wide brown eyes filled with a doe like innocence as his lips formed a response but the only sound that emerged was a strangled little mew, almost cat-like in quality. Alec watched the child thoughtfully, the kid obviously couldn't talk so he decided to try for sign language. He had learned it at Manticore, a required skill, and for some reason he never forgot it. 

Max rounded the corner and faltered when she saw the scene unfolding at her front door. The little five year old was smiling widely his hands engaged in rapid signing to a familiar blonde who had a similar smile on his face. Max felt the control she had been maintaining so well for so long quickly slipping away as Alec reached out to ruffle her son's hair. Their son.

Alec suddenly looked up, blue eyes locking with brown as past collided with present and his smile transformed into that seductive smirk he had long ago perfected.

"Hey Cutie… did'ja miss me?"


End file.
